Locking device.



A. MOEBBS, JR. & 11. T. 111001111.

LOCKING DEVICE. APPLIOATIONTILED 00T. 28, 1910.

y Afro/Mfrs GAM COLUMBIA PLANUGRAPM c0..w/1sM|NuToN. n, c.

UNTTED sTATEs PATENT oEEicE.

AUG-UST MOEBES, JR., AND HER-BERT THOMPSON MOORE, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

LOCKING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1911.

Application filed October 28, 1910. Serial No. 589,583.

To all whom it may con com:

Be it known that we, AUGUST MoEBEs, J r.,

and HERBERT T. MOORE, both citizens of the United States, and residents of San Francisco, in the county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented a new and Improved Locking Device, of which the fol` lowingV is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to locking devices, and more particularly to a vdevice adapted to be removably mounted on a box or other receptacle, and consists of' automatically operating means for locking the cover of the box in a closed position, and further means, manually operable, forr releasing the cover and allowing it to assume an open position with respect to the receptacle.

The object of this invention is to provide a device of the class described, simple and serviceable in construction and inexpensive to manufacture, which can be easily mount-V ed on any desired receptacle, and which pro. vides means whereby the receptacle can be kept closed to prevent the ingressof dust or other injurious substances, until it is desired to open the receptacle, whenupon releasing the cover, a spring provided for the purpose will move it into a predetermined position to disclose the contents of the receptacle.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully described hereinafter, and particularly pointed outvin the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompany-v ing drawings forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of our invention mounted on a receptacle; Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. l, showing the cover of the receptacle held in a closed position by means of our locking device; Fig. 3 is a similar section to that ofFig. 2, showing, however, the locking device in the position which it assumes upon being operated to allow the cover of the receptacle to take an open position; Fig. 4 is across section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1; and 5 is a plan view of our device, removed from the receptacle.

Before proceeding to a more detailed description of our invention, it should be understood that diiilculty is found in stores in'exposing goods on the counter for sale in open receptacles without having dirt and other injurious matter collect upon the goods. This has beenfound to be especially so in cigar stores, where it is necessaryv to have a large selection of cigars exposed for the customer to choose from. To obviate these difficulties, we have provided a locking device which canbe associated with any suitable receptacle, and especially such receptacles as cigar boxes.

When our device has been mounted upon a box it holds the cover thereof in a closed position untilit is desired to expose the goods contained therein, when, by releasing the catch which holds the cover, the latter assumes an open position under the influence of a spring.

lVhen a number of receptacles are provided with our device and arranged in a row along a counter with the side of one box engaging the releasing member of the catch of an adjacent box, pressure brought tobear on thetwo end boxes, forcing them toward one another, while at the same time forcing those between them together, will cause the catches on all the covers to be released, and expose the contents of the boxes simultaneously.

In the specific form shown in the drawings, 1. represents a receptacle, such as a cigar box or the like, having our locking device mounted at one side thereof. This device includes a body portion 2, having offset portions 3 and 4 respectively, which are so formed as to constitute clips for gripping the side of the receptacle. The body 2 has a downwardly-disposed portion .5 and an inwardly-disposed portion 6... Secured to the latter by means of a rivet 7 isa spring 8 having its free extremity 9 resting, under tension, against the inner side lof the cover 10 of the receptacle. The clip 4Ahas that portion 11 ofvit which extends down the outside of the receptacle reduced in width, as shown most clearly in 1 of the drawings. At the upper part of thefreduced portion 11 of the clip are ears 12. Arranged upon the clip 4, and having portions downwardly disposed to constitute ears 13, vthe latter having openings 14 which register with the openings 15 of the ears 12 to receive al pivot pin 16, is a catch 17. The latter has its forward extremity bent back upon itself and then bent at right angles and terminating in a toe 20 to constitute a jaw 18 for receiving the edge of the cover of the receptacle. It should be understood that this jaw may be varied in size and form so as to be suitable for receiving the covers of receptacles other than the one illustrated in the drawing. The clip 4f has a portion 19 cut away so as to allow the jaw to fit closely against the inner face of the receptacle, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2, only the extremity or toe 2O thereof extending under the cover of the receptacle for engaging the sante. Secured, by means of a rivet 21, to the lower extremity of the portion 11 of the clip, is a resilient arm 22 which is bent back so that its free extremity 23 engages the lower face of the catch 17 at the portion remote from the aw 1S. The catch has a downwardly-disposed end 24 constituting a stop to prevent the spring arm from passing out of engagement with the catch. Located in an opening 25 intermediate the erids of the arm is a stud 26 having a head 2 As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, when the cover of the receptacle is in a closed position and so retained by the catch 17, the extremity 23 of the spring arm engages at the stop 24 of the catch to hold the latter in an operative position. After the spring arm has been operated to cause the catch to release the cover, so that by means of the spring 8 it has assumed an open position, the extremity 23 of the spring member is located at the inside of the pivotal center of the catch to hold the latter in a raised position' such that when the cover is again closed, it will be received by the jaw of the catch, and will swing the catch into an operative, locking position. It is to be noted that the spring arm will hold the catch in both an operative and an inoperative position, 'shown respectively in Figs. 2 and 8. l

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent.

1. In a device of the class described, a body portion adapted to be removably arranged within a receptacle, clips integral with said body portion and serving to secure the latter to the side of the receptacle, one of said clips having the portion extending at the outside of the receptacle reduced in width, and a catch pivotally associated with the upper part of the reduced portion of said clip and adapted to engage the cover of the receptacle to lock the latter in a closed position.

2. In a device of the class described, a body portion, clips integral with said body portion and serving to mount the latter at the side of a receptacle, and a catch pivotally arranged on one of said clips and extending inward over the edge of the receptacle, the said catch having a jaw member at its inner end for engaging the edge of the cover of the receptacle, to lock the cover in a closed position.

3. In a device of the class described, a pivoted catch adapted to be mounted upon the outside of a receptacle adjacent to the upper edge thereof, the said catch when in operative position extending over the edge of the receptacle and having a jaw member engaging the cover of the receptacle to hold the same closed, and a member movable relative to the catch and having its free end extending upward and adapted to engage the lower face of said catch at either side of its pivotal center to hold the same in operative or inoperative position.

4f. In a device of the class described, a catch mounted upon the outside of a receptacle adjacent to the upper edge thereof and adapted when in operative position to engage the cover of the receptacle to hold the same closed, the said catch having a member extending inward over the edge of the receptacle and in the path of the cover', the said member being adapted to be engaged by the cover when the latter is being closed to move the catch to operative position, and manually controlled means movable relative to the catch and adapted to engage the lower face of said catch to hold the catch in the path of the cover when the cover is open and to hold the catch in the operative position when the cover is closed.

5. In a device of the class described, a body portion, adapted to be secured to the side of a receptacle, a catch pivotally mounted on said body portion at the upper part thereof, and having a jaw extending inwardly over the edge of the receptacle and adapted to engage the edge of the receptacles cover, and resilient means secured to the said body portion and having its free end extending upward and engaging the under side of said catch to hold the same in diii'erent positions.

6. In a device of the class described, a catch adapted to be mounted upon a receptacle, and a resilient membermovable relative to said catch and adapted to engage the same, the said member when in a predetermined position, causing said catch to hold the cover of the receptacle closed, the said resilient member being manually operable to move the member from said predetermined position to release the catch.

7 In a device of the class described, a body adapted to be mounted upon a receptacle having a cover, a catch pivoted between its ends and mounted upon said body and having a jaw at its inner end adapted to engage the cover to secure the same, and a spring arm for engaging the catch at its outer end to hold said catch in the operative position, the said arm being also adapted to engage the catch at the inner side of its pivotal center to hold said catch in the inoperative position.

8. In a device of the class described, a body adapted to be mounted upon a receptacle having a cover, a pivoted catch mounted upon said body and having a jaw adapted to engage the cover to secure the same, and a spring arm for holding said catch in an operative and inoperative position, said l l0 catch having a stop to limitthe movement lvpivoted catch adapted to be mounted on a receptacle at the upper edge thereof and having a member arranged to extend inward in the path of the cover of the receptacle, the said member being adapted to be engaged by the cover when the latter is being closed to carry the catch to locking position relative to the cover, and a manually controlled resilient member adapted to engage the catch to hold saidA catch in position for said member to be engaged by the cover.

10. In a device of the class described, a catch adapted to be mounted on a receptacle adjacent to the upper edge thereof, and having a member extending inward over the edge of the receptacle and in the path of the cover of the receptacle, the said catch being adapted to be engaged by the cover when the latter is being closed to carry the catch to locking position relatively to the cover, and releasable means engaging the lower face of the catch to hold the catch in' AUGUST MOEBES, JR. HERBERT THOMPSON MOORE.

Witnesses D. J. SULLIVAN, E. C. LUCHEssA.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

. Washington, D. C. 

